The Harriet Lumberjacker by Named

I’ve given myself a few BIG projects to do this month (this was one of them) so blogging has taken a little bit of a backseat. I’m planning to post just once a week for a while whilst I get sorted out. Hopefully that’ll mean better (but just less frequent) content!
For November’s Minerva Crafts make I made the Harriet Lumberjacket by Named Clothing. It’s been on my sewing list for a while now but I’ve only just racked up the courage to actually make it!
The Harriet Lumberjacket is an oversized biker jacket. It’s got an asymmetric zip and wide collar. It is fully lined and interlined as well for extra warmth. It features little belt tabs on the sides with popper buttons and elbow patches. It also has 2 double welt pockets. In addition to this I added in an internal pocket and a hanging tab at the neck.

If you’ve ever wanted to make this jacket, now is the time! This style is all the rage this winter! It’s got the perfect balance of warmth and casual style which I love.

Named recommend using a medium to heavy weight wool coating and a faux fur contrast and to my luck I managed to find both with Minerva Crafts!

I opted for a wool with a large plaid pattern in a beige/brown colourway and a teddy bear faux fur in a contrasting cream. A classic combo!

I used some sew in Vilene interfacing as my interlining. You could use something thicker for more warmth though. I also chose not to interline the sleeves of my jacket as I was worried it would make them too stiff and boxy. If I’d used a softer interlining, I think I would have preferred to have the extra layer!

I used a patterned cotton from my stash (I bought this one in Singapore in fact!) for my lining. The zip and poppers I got from eBay which does tend to be my go to place for hardware.

This pattern requires a lot of fusible interfacing as well so don’t forget to add that to your shopping basket! Named Clothing like to reinforce all the seams on their coats so I ended up adding fusible interfacing to nearly every seam. I ignored the bit on the sleevehead. I was concerned this would make it too difficult to ease the cap in.

The hope is that all this extra reinforcement will help to produce a more hard-wearing garment that can be worn for years!

I’m really pleased with how all my pattern matching turned out! I could’ve tried to match up the sleeves too I guess but to be honest I didn’t mind as long as it was all symmetrical!

The only thing I kind of wished I could change about this make would, perhaps, be to use a thicker thread to topstitch. I think it could do with a little more definition, especially on the back seams and the elbow patches. It got a little lost in all that plaid!

Here are some close-up details!

(By the way I’ve used 12.5mm sized metal snaps here. I wouldn’t recommend using anything larger than that!)

I used the contrast fur for my back facing for some extra snuggliness! (And snuck on one of my tags!)
The best tip I could ever give in the coat making process is to take it one step at a time! The way these instructions are laid out mean that as long as you don’t rush ahead and get overwhelmed, it’s very easy to just follow step by step and achieve the coat of your dreams!

It took me about a week of slow sewing in the evenings in order for me to finish this jacket. It was definitely worth taking my time and doing each step to the best of my ability because I am in LOVE with the result. I’m really proud of how it’s turned out!

You may also like

20 comments

WOW! This is amazing! You’ve done such a good job 👌🏻👌🏻 Love the gold zips you’ve used 😍 sometimes it’s nice to spend longer on a project and get something really amazing – I’m now coming to the end of the jacket version of the vogue coat I made for my husband and have been working on it for a few weeks now 👍🏻

Thanks! I wasn’t sure about the gold to start off but I’m loving it as an accent now! I’m really appreciating taking the time to do things well as opposed to what I normally do when I’m always rushing to finish something!!

Emily your jacket is gorgeous! You should be over the moon – when people compliment you on such a beautiful jacket, how wonderful it will be to say, “Thanks! I made it!” Love your zip, collar, the belt – everything is just such a professional finish.